FIRST READING
“Brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 6: 1- 11)
Brethren: When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the Church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were, some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 149: 1b-2.3-4.5-rna and 9b (R. 4a)
R/.The Lord takes delight in his people.
Or: Alleluia.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker;
let Sion’s children exult in their king. R/.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the poor with salvation. R/.
R/.The Lord takes delight in his people.
Or: Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory,
and rejoice as they take their rest.
Let the praise of God be in their mouths.
This is an honour for all his faithful. R.
ALLELUIA John 15:16
Alleluia. I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord. Alleluia
GOSPEL
All night he continued in prayer. And he chose twelve, whom he named apostles.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 6:2-19)
It happened that in these days Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
To know the will of God, to understand His purpose and path, prayer ought to be the central organizing principle of our lives and this is what Jesus exemplifies in today’s gospel. He goes to the mountain to know the will of his Father in prayer concerning whom he should select as his apostles. In doing this, He demonstrates the importance of involving God in our decision making. Let us imitate him in seeking through prayer the light of wisdom on how to live daily our lives according to the will of God.